36 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



nearest allies"; and tliat "these three species form a good subordinate group 

 of the sub-genus Adiantopsis'' Hooker describes the same plant and figures 

 it in Species Filicum, ii., p. 71, t. 88a, under the name of Asp)iclotis calif ornica, 

 forming by itself a subdivision of the genus Hypolepis. — Baton, Ferns of 

 North America, i., t. 6. 



C. Candida — can'-did-a (pure white). The plant found in gardens under 

 this name is Nothochlcena Candida of Mettenius. 



C. (Adiantopsis) capensis — Ad-i-ant-op'-sis ; ca-pen'-sis (from the 

 Cape), Swartz. 



This very pretty, greenhouse species, native of Cape Colony, ditFers from 

 all others by the more herbaceous (thin and papery) texture of its fronds, 

 which are borne on tufted, erect stalks 4in. to Gin. long, naked, and of 

 a dark chestnut-brown colour. These fronds are 4in. to Gin. long, Sin. to 4in. 

 broad, and bipinnatifid (twice divided half-way to the midrib) ; the lower 

 pinnae (leaflets), which are much the largest, have their piimules (leafits) on 

 the lower side larger than the others, and cut down below to a narrowly- 

 winged stalk into oblong, blunt, nearly entire segments about jin. long. The 

 small and abundant sori (spore masses) are disposed all round the edge of 

 the segments, and are covered by ciliated (hairy) involucres. — Hooher, Synopsis 

 Filicum, p. 132. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, i., p. 307. Lowe, New 

 a?id Bare Ferns, t. 2Ga. Hooker also describes and figures this plant under 

 the name of Hyp/olepis in Species Filicum, ii., p. 72, t. 77c. 



C. (Adiantopsis) chlorophylla— Ad-i-ant-op'-sis ; chlo-roph-yl'-la (green- 

 leaved), Swartz. 



This stove species, native of South America, from New Granada southward 

 to Monte Video, is a very handsome plant, and perhaps the most robust- 

 gTowing of the section to which it belongs. Its somewhat spear-shaped 

 and tripinnatifid fronds, 1ft. to IJft. long and 4in. to Gin. broad, produced 

 from a stout, scaly rhizome (prostrate stem), are borne on strong, erect, naked, 

 polished stalks Iffc. to l^ft. long, of a dark chestnut-brown colour. The 

 leaflets, 3in. to 5in. long and fin. to l^in. broad, are spear-shaped and 

 somewhat distantly placed ; their pinnules (leafits), equally spear-shaped, are 



